Credit: Historical American Sheet Music, Plate no.: 12675-4-L, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University
In the late 1800s and early 1900s small towns across the Commonwealth and the nation boasted concert and marching bands that provided the sound track for public celebrations, introduced local residents to popular songs, and served as training grounds for young musicians. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of John Philip Sousa, aspiring composers wrote marches, waltzes, and other compositions for local bands. Band music composer Charles Sweeley wrote this march for the Ringgold Band of Reading, PA, in 1911.
